Disfrutar

The perfect balance of creativity and taste

Coca pizza with truffle

Disfrutar has not been on my to-visit list since it launched back in 2014. It is now the highest in demand fine dining restaurant in Barcelona, booking a table is not easy unless you plan well in advance. It is currently a 2 stars Michelin restaurant and ranked no4 in the latest World 50 Best guide, many consider it to be the next restaurant to award the prestigious 3 Michelin stars in Spain. Disfrutar offers 2 choices of the tasting menu with both showcased over 20 dishes. The classic menu has a range of iconic dishes from the early days while the festival menu is its 'current' menu, showcasing the best peak ingredients and the restaurant's latest concepts. I opted for the festival menu as I am interested to see what the chefs are trying to do aim toward the 3 stars level.

Smoked butter and caviar

Almond almendruco

Hake empedrat

Onion bread

Cuttlefish and Catalan peas

Disfrutar's menu was long, with dishes after dishes of small plates and drinks served, and it took me 4 hours for the whole experience, what really amazed me is that when a restaurant is serving a long tasting menu, there is a good chance some dishes would hit the top mark while some would not to your liking, but everything from Disfrutar turned out to be excellent. The really one for me was the hake 'empedrat' which contained chilled pepper, hake and almond, it had a lovely harmony of sweetness and savory tone, with an enjoyable soft nutty tone. The cuttlefish with Catalan peas was another outstanding dish, perfectly cooked with the freshness and the crispness of the peas enhanced the umami profile of the cuttlefish wonderfully. 

Raspberry umeboshi and seaweed ravioli

Red prawn and chicken and prawn stock

Fried egg and crustacean sauce

Pigeon, amazake and kombu

Peanut and chocolate

27 dishes later, I could hardly walk but was also very satisfied at the same time. Disfrutar really has managed to strike the perfect balance between creative ideas and flavours. All too often, some ambitious chefs would overkill with some innovative concept while not being able to deliver good taste. This is not the case with Disfrutar, as everything was fun, interesting, and tasted extremely exceptional at the same time. I would rate it to be just as good as Lasarte and these two are my top restaurants in Barcelona for sure. Disfrutar is a world-class restaurant and one I would love to come back to in the future to try its classic menu.

Food 5/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
Tasting menu: £200

 C. de Villarroel, 163, 08036 Barcelona, Spain

https://www.disfrutarbarcelona.com/